Attracting readers to stories from obscure fandoms/horror fandoms.

[lewdnotion]

Does anybody have any advice on how to attract readers to fanfics from media they mightn't be familiar with,or perhaps mightn't be big fans of?

In particular, I'm interested in advice on how to attract readers to a story from a lesser-know horror movie.

I'm kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be a niche for smut fanfics based on horror movies. While I admit that there's a lot of crap that comes out in the horror genre, there's also a convention of packing those movies with hot babes who often get to flaunt their goods in wild, pointless sex scenes. True, the fatalities usually kill the mood, but I can't believe that there isn't a whole subdomain of erotic fanfic that takes the essence of just these hot scenes and runs with them. I mean half the time, horror movie ladies are wet dreams come to life.

I've been writing a fanfic based off a horror movie that isn't very well known and that a lot of people who've seen it, myself included, don't think was very good. But it does have one incredibly hot scene where this super-sexy woman (Cerina Vincent, who you might remember as the naked girl from "Not Another Teen Movie") just gives up all hope and basically throws herself at some random guy because she figures they might as well go out happy. Maybe I'm weird, but even buried in a B-grade, 2-star horror movie, I just found that so hot; one of those girls who's pretty much out of everybody's league just pouncing on you, coming on so strong that you don't know if you'll be able to keep up.

I can testify that you don't need to like the movie to like that scenario, so I took that one scenario and tried to write about it. I tend to think that my fanfiction is actually more about that kind of scenario than the actual movie. It's more about a guy who finds himself being seduced and used by the kind of woman who would normally be way out of his league, except she's desperate and frightened and she needs him to make her feel better. And I just wish I could advertize it more as an extension of that kind of concept than as an extension of the movie, because I think I'd attract more readers that way.

[KendraC]

It sounds like you could easily change it to be original fic, which might have a wider audience than a really obscure fandom would. At least, you could post to original fic communities.

[JayDee]

Change from fanfic to original to reach a wider audience?

Well, it worked for E L James!

[PervOtaku]

Two ways you could take it, then.

One, give enough information for context of these two movie characters getting together. You not going to want to retell the whole movie, but just drop a nutshell version of the danger they're in, what's brought them to this point. Then after your inserted sex scene, bring it back to the movie events briefly, say they are still afraid of dying but maybe just a little bit less now, and end. You wouldn't even have to put the original movie's title in your story title, make that something that will draw readers in. Mention the original movie in your disclaimer, and that will be enough that readers can go look it up if they want.

Or, as the other folks said, drop the original movie and just port the concept to an original story. The main downside of that is rather than just the one scene, you'd be pretty much expected to have an entire story, from the introduction of the threat all the way through to the last survivors defeating or escaping it. The upside to that though is you could expand things to many, rather than just one, sex scenes on the theme of "since we're going to die anyway". That gives you a lot of opportunity. Instead of just your one "girl fucks a guy she would never otherwise even look at because right now she'd fuck anyone" you can have things like:

A virgin that was saving herself for marriage decide to give it up so she won't die a virgin (bonus irony if she survives)

Someone finally confessing to their secret crush since this will be their last chance, and either the other person feels the same way and they fuck, or they don't feel the same way but given the situation they go with it and fuck anyway. (bonus points for a same-gender crush, especially with the doesn't-feel-the-same-but-let's-fuck-anyway version)

Somebody getting to cross something off their fetish bucket list since this is going to be their last chance (something as simple as anal, or double/triple penetration, all the way to fulfilling their bicuriosity)

[SirGeneralSir]

i think its all about the description that you are using.

if the description of a story is too vague, it doesn't give people the desire to want to read it, you might get some people that do get tempted and will read it.

now that said, it also depends on the fandom and the story elements itself, there is a 90% chance that i wont read a story with dick girls in it or Male pregnancy, but thats just me.

I would recommend that you ask yourself, is it the universe thats the issue or the story type, what can you change and what can you not, what will help the story and what will destroy it.

in my opinion, a Saw story with romance in it, not going to happen, though you will probably get some people that will read it, will they enjoy that romance in a horror setting?

i think that it also depends on the type of elements that you are adding in, romance isnt just romance, there are many kinds of it just like there are many kinds of sex if you add in toys, positions and numbers of partners etc.

if you have survivors romance, the hero and X person being forced to support each other and make it out alive and have that kiss in the sunset type of thing, it could work.

now that all said, i think its really up to you, write your story the way you want it, dont try to please everyone, but dont ignore everyone.

have a set goal for the characters in the story, be it surviving the alien monster, or getting off the mountain etc and have the romance already set in place or happen by accident, but again thats my opinion.

[lewdnotion]

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions.

Rewriting my story as an original fic seems like a "when all else fails" kind of strategy, so I'll hold off on that one for the moment. Though I'm sure it would probably draw in more readers, as you suggest.

i think its all about the description that you are using.

if the description of a story is too vague, it doesn't give people the desire to want to read it, you might get some people that do get tempted and will read it.

now that said, it also depends on the fandom and the story elements itself, there is a 90% chance that i wont read a story with dick girls in it or Male pregnancy, but thats just me.

I would recommend that you ask yourself, is it the universe thats the issue or the story type, what can you change and what can you not, what will help the story and what will destroy it.

in my opinion, a Saw story with romance in it, not going to happen, though you will probably get some people that will read it, will they enjoy that romance in a horror setting?

i think that it also depends on the type of elements that you are adding in, romance isnt just romance, there are many kinds of it just like there are many kinds of sex if you add in toys, positions and numbers of partners etc.

if you have survivors romance, the hero and X person being forced to support each other and make it out alive and have that kiss in the sunset type of thing, it could work.

Well, as I said, the scene in the movie isn't so much about survivors hooking up as it is about 2 people who figure that they'll die soon anyway, so why not go out with a bang? Point of fact, the woman actually does get killed shortly afterward.

Of course, she survives in my fanfic. My fanfic initially extends the original scenario, so that the woman seduces the guy again before he can wander off on his own like he does in the movie. Then they get rescued.

Afterwards, they meet a month later at the funeral of one of their group who didn't make it and even though things are very awkward between them, they decide to hook up and spend the night together to comfort one another.

I wouldn't say it's romantic as there's a lot of guilt and grief between them and they don't really have much romantic chemistry, but plenty of sexual chemistry. She's basically just using the guy as a distraction and he's pretty much wrapped around her finger because she's so freaking hot. He's at war with himself a lot in that regard, but ultimately he winds up fucking her.

It gets complicated in other ways, too, because the dead friend was the girl that the guy was really in love with, so he feels guilty about having sex the night after her funeral, and unbeknownst to the man, the woman is pregnant from their earlier hook-up and she's debating with herself whether she should go through with it or get an abortion.

[SirGeneralSir]

Yeah to me, thats not my cup of tea.

but the points I was trying to make, is that the elements that you are using can both hurt and help you.

for example is it explained how the girl survived, did she move at the last second and so on.

for me, a story like that sounds rather boring if they have been saved etc, the only things they are facing is the internal problems between themselves, but if they were still on the island, still facing A and B problems, that could make it much more interesting.

as it stands, it just sounds like another typical drama movie/TV show where guy and girl have problems, have to deal with them, have more unexpected problems, deal with this and that, etc etc etc.

again, that said, you could even make it more of a twist that instead of the girlfriend getting killed, she lived, or there was another person, a stranger, male or female.

my advice is this, find your ending, where do you want the story to actually go, does the guy become king of the planet, does he save the princess, stop the evil corporation or what have you, find that ending and work towards that in mind.

[foeofthelance]

The largest chunk of the problem with any fanfic is that it is ever only going to appeal to those who have an interest in the fandom. That's because its assumed that a lot of the work is being pre-established for the author; we know the characters, the setting, etc. In this case, you're not only limited by the smaller fandom, but by the fact that you're writing what is essentially a fix-fic: a story where one aspect of the story is changed to achieve a better outcome desired by the fan author. So you're not only limiting yourself to the fandom you are writing in, but the pool of readers who also want to see that particular aspect changed.

In truth, there are only two ways to attract readers, and one greatly assists in the other:

1) Write in a fandom with a such a large pool of readers that even a small chunk represents a substantial population

AND/OR

2) Become such a well known author that people are looking for your stories because they are written by you, no matter what the content might be. This is much easier if you start by following the guideline above this one.

[SirGeneralSir]

I agree with Foe there.

I have a Naruto fic, as it stands i have 47897 hits/views on it, but only 31 reviews.

why do I have so many people reading the story when its my first one? because of the fandom and probably because of the tags on it too.

lost of people like preg, lesbians, threesums + and countless other things.

let me put it this way, if there was a story in the ......... Zelda universe, you're going to get a lot of people looking at it, but if you have one in the ..... Care Bear universe, maybe not so much.

if you are set on this story, thats 100% fine, dont just drop it because we are saying things that you dont want to hear, finish your story the way you want it to go, just remember people will generally follow with the idea of canon, so anything you change has to be explained or you could confuse people and that would hurt your story too.